Thalassic imaginaries : witnesses to (an) unwritten history

Abstract

The objective of this research was to inquire whether it is possible to trace and document remote unwritten history from toponyms and oral lore among other indications which survive among ancient maritime communities such as that of Bormla (Malta). Employing a transdisciplinary approach, the study’s starting point was a prominent oral legend which describes St Paul’s departure from Malta in AD 61. It transpired that recorded toponyms at Bormla, their language and thalassic meaning supported by an analysis of Biblical text, archaeology, architecture and pictorial sources such as portolan maps, art and other evidence, substantiate the veracity of the legend surviving at Bormla as a historical event. This is sustained by the general toponym as well as those associated with particular sites and neighbourhoods. The linguistic and thalassic meaning of the analysed toponyms and its topography show that Bormla was the main harbour of Malta from antiquity to the sixteenth century and that its ancient toponym contributed to the creation of the toponym of ‘Malta’. The study shows that thalassic imaginaries born of toponyms at Bormla, supported with tangible evidence from different sources, are vivid witnesses to (an) unwritten history.